Aaron Hamilton, a newcomer to the racing industry but a man with a wealth of global experience in event and venue organisation and a passion for sports in general, is the new Chief Executive Officer of Hawke’s Bay Racing.

HBRC Board chairman Eliot Cooper announced the appointment earlier this week, saying Hamilton will officially take up the position on Monday.

Wellington-born Hamilton, 39, had strong experience in the sports and entertainment sectors in New Zealand and Australia before moving to the Middle East seven years ago.

There he worked on major venues and events including the recently completed World Expo 2020 in Dubai  and the 2015 and 2016 Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix’s.

More recently he was heavily involved in working on the Qiddiya project in Saudi Arabia, a new Sports Entertainment and Cultural district in Riyadh consisting of various theme parks, arenas, stadiums, hotels, Formula 1 racetrack and a purpose-built e-sports arena.

Currently based in Auckland, where he has been working as a consultant on a number of projects, Hamilton plans to make a permanent move to Hawke’s Bay in the near future with his wife and three young children.

“Although I haven’t had any involvement in racing until now I am obviously very keen to learn and I will be going around to other racetracks and talking to racing participants to glean all the knowledge I can,” Hamilton said this week.

“I am excited about working with Eliot and his Board and hopefully there are different knew ways of initiative that I can bring that will benefit Hawke’s Bay Racing.

“I can see a lot of opportunities out there.”

Hamilton said he is fully aware that the upcoming three day Colliers Hawke’s Bay Spring carnival is one of the most prestigious on the New Zealand racing calendar and also one of the iconic events for the entire Hawke’s Bay region.

Next Saturday’s first day of the carnival will feature the $300,000 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), the country’s first Group 1 event of the new season.

“From Monday onwards it will be an interesting time with a big upcoming race meeting next week followed by the other two big days of the carnival, “ Hamilton said.

“I know the Livamol Classic on the third day is the big one and we really want to get it right.”

Eliot Cooper said that, although Hamilton has no prior experience in the thoroughbred racing industry, it is a chance to bring in someone with a separate set of eyes and new ideas.

“I know Aaron is looking forward to his new challenge and the Board believes his experience in the sports and entertainment landscape will bring a new perspective to a role such as this.”

 

Connections drink a toast to Master Brewer

The Hastings mother and daughter combination of Sarah and Tessa Gregory-Hunt had good reason to celebrate when Master Brewer broke through for a deserved maiden win over 1800m at Taupo meeting on Wednesday of last week.

For Sarah it was just the second thoroughbred race winner bred by her stallion Playmaker while for her daughter Tessa it is the first horse she has had a share in and the win helped ease the pain she has been suffering from a bad knee injury that needs surgery.

“It was a big thrill as we were both there on the day but we got lost trying to find the racetrack,” Sarah said this week.

“We had to stop at a rugby ground and ask some guys for the directions but luckily we made it on time.

“Tessa was hobbling at the start of the day but jumping for joy after he won. It was so exciting for both of us.”

Playmaker is a well-bred stallion, being by Pins out of an O’Reilly mare who won one race. He has been standing at Sarah and husband Tim’s Hawke’s Bay property for a large number of years now but hasn’t produced a lot of thoroughbred foals and has not had many to the races.

“I have another full-time job so that keeps me occupied but I’ve always loved the horses so we try and combine the two.”

She said Playmaker is still wandering around the hills close to their house. He runs with mares on their property but Sarah also hand services him with any outside mares that come on to the property.

She said that Playmaker has now had two winners and both have been prepared by the Hastings training partnership of Sue Thompson and Mick Brown.

The first was Rekohu Diva, who won a maiden at Otaki back in April 2019.

Master Blaster is the second foal out of the unraced Columbia mare Rekohu Delight and the only one to race.

“The first foal was quite small and injured herself in a paddock accident and never got to the races,” she said.

She added that it was her daughter Tessa that named Master Brewer after what became an eventful day when he was born.

“We were hay making and loading a truck when Tessa came flying down saying Rekohu Delight was starting to foal,” Sarah recalled.

“It was the end of the day so we took our beers back to where she was and while I was foaling the mare the guys were all standing around drinking Speights.

“We said we should call him Speights but that name was already taken so we looked at the Speights bottles and every label has Master Brewer on it so that is how he got his name.”

Needless to say the horse’s stable name is Speights.

Sarah said they have not bred from Rekohu Delight for several years but that she will again mate the mare with Playmaker this year and she knows of a few other horses by the sire now in work.

Sue Thompson said Master Brewer has come through the win very well and is now likely to head back to Taupo on September 16 for a Rating 65 race over 1800m.

An excited Tessa Gregory-Hunt (left) and her mother Sarah discuss Master Brewer’s win with successful jockey Kate Hercock at last week’s Taupo meeting

 

Stakes race next for Best Seller

Hastings-trained filly Best Seller has rocketed into favouritism for next Saturday’s Group 3 $100,000 HB/PB Thoroughbred Breeders Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings after a super impressive win at Taupo on Wednesday of last week.

The three-year-old Wrote filly, prepared by John Bary, came from last at the 600m mark in an 1100m event to win by a short neck in what was regarded as the win of the day.

Best Seller was a shade slow to begin and rider Sam Spratt had no option but to settle her at the rear of the field. She started to send her mount forward after passing the 600m but the filly made the home turn awkwardly and ran very wide before getting properly balanced again.

She then kept up a strong finish down the outside of the track to sweep past her rivals and score with her ears pricked.

Trainer John Bary was understandably pleased with the fresh up run from a filly that was Group 2 placed from four starts last season and said the Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) has always been her immediate target.

“Sam Spratt said she is still very green and will improve lengths with more racing manners,” Bary said.

“We took the blinkers off today. We are teaching her to relax and she did it nicely and came home well.

“She has hopefully got a good, long season ahead of her.”

Best Seller is raced by the Challenge Zen Syndicate, a large group that is managed by Waikato bloodstock consultant Adrian Clark.

Members of the syndicate include Brian and Lorraine Henneker and Tony White, who live in Taradale.

Clark outlayed $12,000 to secure Best Seller from the 2021 Karaka yearling sales and the filly has already returned her connections more than $54,000 in prizemoney.

Best Seller has her ears pricked as she crosses the line for a decisive win over 1100m at Taupo last week.

 

Heavy tracks made to order for Estefania

Hastings mare Estefania relished the heavy track conditions at Awapuni last Saturday to chalk up her fifth success when taking out a  $30,000 Rating 65 race over 1550m.

The Darci Brahma eight-year-old was slow away and well back in the early and middle stages but apprentice jockey Bailey Rogerson didn’t panic, keeping her to the inside and making up many lengths coming to the home turn.

Estefania was third rounding the home bend and maintained a strong finish down centre track to get up and snatch a head victory on the line.

Estefania is owned by her Hastings breeder Richard McKenzie who trains her in partnership with his partner Jordan Bassett.

The mare was also a winner over 1200m at Hastings three starts back before being forced to cover plenty of extra ground when seventh over 1200m at Woodville at her next start.

Four of Estefania’s wins have come on heavy tracks, while her maiden victory back in April 2018 was on soft footing.

 

The Cossack a brave second

Star Hastings jumper The Cossack produced another brave performance to finish a close second in last Sunday’s $A350,000 Australian Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat in Australia.

For a brief moment the horse’s co-trainer Paul Nelson thought he had won the 4500m feature after he and eventual winner St Arnicca crossed the finish in line.

“I didn’t have the best view of he finish, I had people in front of me. The fella standing next to me said ‘you have won.’ He was certain and he was from Ballarat,” Nelson said.

“They had the photo up pretty quickly and it wasn’t to be. It was still great, he went well.”

The Cossack had to lump topweight of 70kg, which was 6kg more than the winner and 1.5kg more than race favourite Flying Agent, who finished third.

While there are a couple of feature jumping races remaining in New Zealand, Nelson said The Cossack would now go out for a well-deserved spell and possibly return to Australia next year.

The Cossack’s runner-up result in the Grand National Steeplechase caps a memorable past 12 months for the horse for the nine-year-old, having won six of his nine starts including the NZ Grand National Hurdles (4200m), Great Northern Hurdle (4200m), KS Brown Hurdle (3100m) and Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3100m).